Biocomplexity Spiral

Image: Biocomplexity Spiral

Caption: Biocomplexity is the study of the interactions between biological systems, including humans, and their physical environments. As the movement of living beings, whether invasive species or pathogens or humans, enlarges and encircles the globe, so does the scope of biological research. The spiral, symbolic of life at every level, was used to underscore the point that understanding demands observations from multiple perspectives, from the nanoscale to the global. The spiral of biocomplexity begins to unfurl at the scale of the atom, and curves up through successive levels of life, through the cell, the organism, the community, and the ecosystem. Disciplinary worlds, formerly perceived as discrete, intersect to provide fuller, more complex viewpoints.

Further descriptions: Biocomplexity: A swirl of colors follows a black spiral. Following the path of the spiral are the following titles and images: Cosmos- picture of the cosmos, Planetary-picture of earth, Ecosystem-picture of a hurricane, Community-picture of an aerial view of a residential community, Population-picture of a forest, Habitat-picture of a single tree, Organism-picture of a seahorse, Organ-picture of a heart, Tissue-picture of human scar tissue, Cellular-picture of a cut-away cell showing the nucleus and chromosomes within, Molecular- picture of a swirling DNA strand with the DNA strand attachment within, and Atomic- picture of an atom cluster.